Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 228 A Small Gang of Four

Xiao Xiao covered her mouth and laughed: "Do you think our house will often have female classmates coming over under various pretexts, just to have a chance to bump into the school heartthrob?"

Seeing that the two girls didn't care who rented the house, the adults were naturally more at ease. Although it's normal for college students to date, if they were to lose their minds and cause someone's death, it would be a big problem. We still have to take precautions. However, judging from their current behavior, they probably haven't figured it out yet.

"From now on, the 13th of each month will be the rent collection day. Zhizhi, you and those two are classmates, so this is your responsibility. You and Xiaoxiao will each get half of the collected rent. Oh, and someone will be coming to install the internet tomorrow. Make sure you ask them how to connect and disconnect the internet. The internet fee is quite expensive, so be careful when using it," Jingyan instructed directly.

The two children looked at each other with delight: "Okay, Mom. After dinner, can we play on the computer for a while?"

"What's so fun about a computer that's not connected to the internet?" Jing Yan didn't understand.

"The computer comes with a few games pre-installed, so you can play them even without internet," Zhizhi said, and she and Xiaoxiao ate a little faster.

Watching the two kids devour their food and then snuggle into the master bedroom, the adults didn't think much of it. They're in college now; these things really don't need to be bothered with.

On Saturday morning, the internet installer arrived. The installation was done in two houses, and the speed wasn't slow; it was finished in half a day. He gave Jingyan two phone numbers for the internet service, which Jingyan knew would be used to pay the bills.

Chen Ping kept the number 302 safe and even copied it down, posting it on the living room wall. The two children from 301 memorized it. Jing Yan, holding the number, made a special trip to the post office to collect the prepaid phone credit.

She didn't save much, just two hundred yuan to see how long it would last. Zhizhi would be responsible for this money from now on; Jingyan wasn't going to give her any.

On Sunday morning, Jingyan heard footsteps outside her door. She opened the door and saw that it was her neighbor across the hall. She wondered how eager they were to move out, coming over so early in the morning.

Chu Han was holding his bedding when he saw Jing Yan at the door. He smiled and greeted her, "Hello, Auntie. I see that the curtains and appliances have been bought. Thank you, Auntie."

Jing Yan waved her hand: "It was your Aunt Chen who paid for it, why are you all here so early?"

"I've found a place, so I'll move in as soon as possible. I can get settled in, and I have class tomorrow."

Jing Yan nodded: "Then you all continue with your work, I'll head back now." After saying that, she turned around and went back into the house, closing the door behind her.

Chu Han... He has been good-looking since he was a child. Everyone from eighty-year-old grandmothers to four- or five-year-old girls likes to talk to him. Because he is so popular, he has always felt that it is a problem. Why doesn't it work here? Has his appearance declined recently?

However, thinking about Lu Xiaoxiao's appearance, he seemed to understand why the two aunties were so indifferent to him. He had been eating fine food for so long that he was used to it. He shook his head and stopped thinking about it. He quickly got busy moving his things. After he finished moving them, he paid the money to the aunties, closed the door, and the hallway became quiet.

When the children woke up, the two insisted on going to see the neighbor across the street. Unable to persuade them otherwise, Chu Han brought a plate of dumplings to their door. Chu Han accepted the dumplings somewhat embarrassedly and politely asked them to sit down for a while. He then took the dumplings into the kitchen to empty the plates.

After receiving the cleaned dishes, the group returned to their apartment across the hall. Once the door was closed, Lu Xiaoxiao asked her mother, "Why were they provided with appliances? The rent is only 1100 yuan. He doesn't seem short of money. If he needed them, he could have just bought them himself."

Jingyan looked at her and laughed: "You think a little over a thousand a month is all you need as long as you have some furniture? The apartment in Ci'en was fully furnished with appliances and furniture. They lived there during their university years, and at first, it only cost a few hundred yuan to rent it out."

The rent only started to rise in the last two years, but it's still less than a thousand yuan, and that was for a four-bedroom apartment. Our apartment is indeed large, but there are only two rooms, so there are not many people who can live there.

If you don't include home appliances, even with the location advantage, it would only cost around 800 or 900 yuan, which is 200 or 300 yuan less than 1,100 yuan a month.

Let's calculate based on the minimum price difference. With all the appliances included—a refrigerator, a color TV, and two floor fans—the total cost was 3,800 yuan.

If you charge an extra 200 yuan per month in rent, you'll recoup the cost of the appliances in less than two years. Anything more after that is profit. Appliances don't break down in two years, and your university is four years long, so you'll have already recouped the cost by now.

When we were preparing to rent out this house, we had already decided to furnish it with basic appliances so we could confidently ask for over a thousand. Even if the tenant's child doesn't request them, we'll still provide them.

It might not be that complete, at least we won't need a refrigerator, but since we're all students from your school, a more complete set is fine. Anyway, we won't lose out.

Zhizhi tilted her head and looked at Jingyan: "Mom, do you think that the boy is so easy to talk to because he's good-looking? Otherwise, given your personality, you would never have compromised on the decision you made before so easily."

Jingyan blushed slightly, not because she was embarrassed that her child had seen through her secret, but because she wondered why she was seen as such a lecherous person by her child. Did she not look like a decent person?

Chen Ping couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Your mother said before that you were clueless about relationships and that these two couldn't seduce you. I didn't expect you to think that they were the ones who seduce your mother. You two are really funny."

Jingyan glared at Zhizhi: "The child is quite good-looking, but your mother doesn't have that many ulterior motives. I just think that the boy named Chu Han must come from a well-off family. You'll be classmates in the future, and maybe he can really help you out."

I originally planned to provide some decorations to make a good impression, but going on and on about it only made me look worse. It's good that they think we're easy to talk to and simple-minded; smart people like to hang out with idiots and feel that tricking an idiot would lower their own status, so they don't bother with scheming. This will make your interactions smoother in the future.

Our family is just an ordinary family, and we can't offer you much help in the future. Since you think their family might be extraordinary, even if you don't need their help in the future, it's always good to have good relations with them.

Remember this: regardless of whether connections are useful or not, don't miss the opportunity to cultivate them. You never know when you might need them. Even if they're not useful, the worst that can happen is you lose some money; it's not a big deal. Sometimes, suffering a loss is a blessing in disguise.

Zhizhi and Xiaoxiao looked at Jingyan with complicated expressions: "Mom, were you willing to let Teacher Shen come to our house with the mindset of casting a wide net?"

Jingyan looked at her and asked, "Do you think it's helpful for you to stay at our house? At least in this art exam, you two were able to pass the exam, and Teacher Shen deserves a lot of credit for that."

Zhizhi and Xiaoxiao exchanged a glance and had to admit that they used to think their mother was like the Virgin Mary, kind to everyone. Now they seemed to see a hint of her well-hidden ulterior motives: casting a wide net and always catching one or two small fish. But it seemed that their mother had a really good eye; the fish she caught were not too small.

"We've been out here for about half a month now. Tomorrow we'll go to the school to apply for day student status for you two, and then we'll prepare to go back. You two need to take good care of yourselves here. It gets dark early in winter, so Zhizhi, don't get cocky just because you have some rudimentary skills."

After school, wait a while and come back with the boy from across the street. At least that way, no one will dare to make any advances. Xiaoxiao isn't as good as you, so take care of her. You two will need to help each other out in the future.

Zhizhi obediently agreed. The interaction between Chen Ping and Lu Xiaoxiao had never been very lively. She just quietly stayed by Xiaoxiao's side. Even so, Lu Xiaoxiao was very content. At least, her mother was willing to stay by her side now, and her emotions were stable.

The two children returned to school that evening. Early Monday morning, Jingyan and Chen Ping went to the Film Academy's academic affairs office to inquire about arranging for them to commute to school. Although the academy doesn't approve of newly enrolled students living off-campus,

But seeing that there was a property certificate, and since the parents lived there, the school naturally wouldn't stop them anymore. After the two parents signed the consent form for the students to commute to school, the school notified the dormitory supervisor that these two people would no longer be required to check the dormitories.

Jingyan and Chenping went to the dormitory to wait for their parents. Fortunately, after the morning classes, there were no classes in the afternoon. The two girls went back to the dormitory to take a nap before going to the library, but they saw their parents squatting pitifully at the door.

Knowing that everything was settled, everyone packed their things and moved out. As for telling their roommates, Zhizhi could tell them during class tomorrow, but as for Xiaoxiao, they were too lazy to tell her, since they weren't really close anyway.

After getting everything settled, Chen Ping used her home phone to call Commander Lu and tell him she needed sleeper tickets for her return trip. Commander Lu was quick and called back that evening to say the tickets had been bought and she would be leaving the next afternoon. The two girls originally thought they would wait until the weekend so they could see her off at the station, but they never expected that they would leave on Tuesday.

No matter how reluctant they were to leave, the two of them didn't plan to stay any longer. They refused the girls' offer to see them off at the station, and after sending the child away early in the morning, they started packing their luggage and then couldn't wait to board the train back home.

When Zhizhi and Xiaoxiao arrived home that evening, they were greeted by an empty room. A feeling of loneliness suddenly washed over them. Chu Han and Chen Bin, who had also arrived home, saw the two standing blankly at the door and asked curiously, "What's wrong? Is Auntie not home?" They even peeked their heads into the house.

Zhizhi sighed: "Yeah, my mom and the others went home."

After that moment of reluctance and loneliness, things got much better. Zhizhi grabbed Xiaoxiao's arm and said, "Let's go. From now on, it'll be just the two of us relying on each other. Let's see what food we have at home, and cook something simple for a meal. We'll go grocery shopping again tomorrow."

Just as the two girls were about to close the door, Chen Bin stopped them: "You can cook?"

Xiao Xiao rolled her eyes at his shameless attitude: "Zhizhi will do the housework, I'll do the chores. Living together means you have to contribute something, you can't just sit back and enjoy the benefits."

"Can we bring two mouths? We can take care of buying rice, flour, cooking oil, and vegetables. You two provide the skills, and we'll provide the ingredients. How about that?" Chen Bin continued to persuade.

Zhizhi frowned: "Neither of you are short of money. If you can't cook, there are plenty of restaurants and snack shops outside. How can you go hungry?"

Chen Bin curled his lip: "This old man is too picky. He looks down on the cooking skills of ordinary restaurants and thinks they are not clean. He thinks that food that is edible is not cheap."

Zhizhi pulled Xiaoxiao to a corner and whispered in her ear. Chen Bin looked at Chu Han in confusion: "Do they agree or disagree?"

Chu Han looked at him as if he were an idiot: "Isn't that just a discussion?"

A little while later, the two of them came over. Zhizhi said, "Let's see what dishes are left in the kitchen. You two can try a meal first. If you think the taste is acceptable, then we agree to eat together. But you will be responsible for all the ingredients and seasonings. I will provide the cooking skills, and Xiaoxiao will be responsible for cleaning up. How about that?"

The two boys naturally had no objections. With Jingyan and Chenping completely unprepared for Dev, the initial Gang of Four was officially formed. Years later, when everyone had found their own path or pursued their own goals, they talked about this youthful period again. This solid revolutionary friendship was formed at this time, and it would not be an exaggeration to call them best friends.

They can give their all for each other, yet still maintain their own independent space. This relationship transcends friendship and love, and is almost as close as family.

Jingyan and Chen Ping returned to Haishi smoothly. After arriving on the island, they separated and went home. When Jingyan entered her house, everything seemed unchanged, yet it felt strangely empty.

I put my suitcase in the living room and walked around every room. The once bustling scene was now completely silent, which made me feel a bit sad. I used to think that my house wasn't very big, well, except when I was cleaning.

Now, however, I feel that the house is so big. Only the couple is left. The children have all grown up, gone to college, started working, or flown far away. Only the old couple is left to guard the empty house, but it is peaceful.

That evening, He Zhijun entered the yard and saw the lights on in the house. He knew his wife had returned. He couldn't suppress the smile on his face and quickened his pace. As he entered the house, he saw a busy figure in the kitchen.

He walked behind her and gently hugged Jingyan's not-so-slender waist from behind, his voice a little muffled: "Wife, it was only a week when I sent An'an away, but you've been gone for half a month, how come it's been so long?"

Jingyan turned her head and bumped her head against her neck: "I bought a house for Zhizhi, right? From choosing it to buying it, and then furnishing the house, it all took a long time. I didn't delay anything so I could come back as soon as possible."

I was worried about you being home alone, afraid you wouldn't eat properly or have time to do laundry. But it seems you haven't accumulated any dirty laundry, and the house is quite clean. You haven't been lazy lately; you've been quite diligent.

He Zhijun chuckled softly in her ear, "Yes, I'm just afraid that if I'm lazy, my wife will complain about me when she comes back."

Jingyan put down the bowl she was washing, touched his cheek with her foamy fingers, and smiled happily as she watched the foam remain on his face: "You're getting better and better at talking. It's really nice to listen to you."